Serene Dreams
by Mr.Oakzzz
Summary: Refusing to give up on her dream of travelling with Ash, Serena leaves Kalos as soon as she reaches Lumiose City and takes a flight back to Kanto. Arriving in Pallet Town, she reunites with Ash and the two sets out to accomplish what they both dreamed of. To travel. Together. And become the best in their own way. Amourshipping
1. Prologue: The Mysterious Package

**A/N: **_Hello Pokemon fans, and welcome to the very first chapter of my new Pokemon fanfic: Serene Dreams. If any of you have read my other fic, Serene Phoenix, then you might remember that Serena considered accepting her Pokemon at age 10 so she could "escape" back to Kanto on her own to journey the region with Ash, like they had dreamt? Well, that is essentially what this fic will focus around, but aside from that the fics really aren't connected in any way. This is a Kanto fic (which won't be a rewrite as I think rewriting the same things all over again with an extra kiss at the end of each episode is boring) and thus no pokemon from other regions without good reason. Also for those who read SP and disliked my OC, there will be no Dusk in this fic. I am not saying that I won't use OCs in this fic, because that would be flat out lying, but I won't use them as an obstacle the same way I use Dusk in SP, because at this point Ash doesn't need that kind of obstacle._

_Before we start, there are some things that will be different though and I will go through them now. I don't see the reason why some pokemon evolutions would just magically appear in another region while the same species won't have the same lines in this one, so I will use the complete lines for all Pokemon, INCLUDING Mega Evolutions later on. But aside from the Megas, this mainly concerns the lines of Rhyperior, Magmortar, Lickilicky and Electevire, as they are the only ones I can think of straight up that are Kanto Pokemon and received a new evolution in Gen4. The same will also go for Baby Pokemon._

_And the final changes that will be made are two that really isn't that important. I feel that 10 years of age might be a little early to allow children to travel alone in a country that have wild creatures that can breath fire, spit acids, cut through trees with one cut and eat literally anything. So I have decided to increase the age to 13, the year when you enter your teenage years. Not that much of a stretch, but it makes a little more sense, since that is typically when you are supposed to start growing up and it might help me feel less awkward about writing fluff moments. The last change is Ash's and Serena's outfits. Since this is Kanto and both of them share a resemblance to the Kanto duo from the FireRed and LeafGreen games, Red and Leaf, their outfits will be more like the ones used by said characters. Thus, Ash's jacket will be red and white, rather than blue and white, he will have black sportgloves instead of green and his Backpack will be yellow. Serena will have a white, sleeveless shirt rather than the black one she naturally wears in both anime and games and her hat will be white, instead of pink. _

_That was all for now and I hope you enjoy the story!_

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon or I wouldn't be writing this here.

* * *

**Prologue: **The Mysterious Package

"Happy Birthday!"

Ash Ketchum couldn't help but grin happily as his mom placed a large birthday cake on the kitchen table in front of him, complete with 13 candles. Today was the day! Today, he turned 13 and could finally apply to the Pokemon League to receive his Official Trainer Liscense. He had been waiting for this day as long as he could remember. It had been his dream to become the greatest Pokemon Trainer ever since he was a toddler and now, he could finally take the first step towards that dream!

Taking a deep breath, he blew out the candles and closed his eyes. Now what should he wish for? The answer could seem obvious since he had a dream he wanted fulfilled but there was actually something else too that he really wanted to happen. Five years ago, his best friend had moved away from Pallet Town and he hadn't heard from her since. It would be really nice to get any kind sign from her, just so he knew that she still remembered him. He didn't even know where she lived anymore. She had never told him. But did he want to see her more than he wanted his dream to be fulfilled? On one hand, he would need all the luck he could get if he wanted to ever make that dream come true. But on the other hand, that dream basically just meant that he would need to train harder, more and better than any other trainer. He couldn't train himself to see his friend. So what should he pick?

After a long, complicated inner conflict, Ash finally settled on what he wanted the most and opened his eyes again, sighing with relief that he had finally decided on his wish. He found that his mother still hadn't moved from her spot and was studying him with a curious glance.

"You sure took a long time making your wish." she commented.

Ash grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, messing up his already messy hair even worse.

"Yeah, I had a little trouble deciding on what I wanted." he admitted before he grabbed the knife from the table and began serving himself some cake.

Delia Ketchum frowned when Ash said that he had trouble deciding what he wanted. As long as she could remember, Ash had always been very clear with what he wanted to do in his life. He was going to become the Strongest Pokemon Trainer the world had ever seen, or as he preferred to call it, a "Pokemon Master". She knew for a fact that all up until just 5 years ago, that had all he had been set on and wanted more than anything... Ah, of course, that was probably it. He probably wished that what happened 5 years ago would come undone. And thinking back, she couldn't really blame him. Ash and Serena had been as good as inseparable ever since the day they first met. For the three years they had known each other, you rarely saw one of them without the other. They had been so close that they could have been siblings.

When Serena moved away, Ash had been broken for almost half a year and barely did anything. He would just go out into the forest and visit the places that he and Serena used to play at. Delia had followed him more than once, just to see how he was doing and it had hurt to see the usually so energic and happy boy in such a depressed state. She had tried to cheer him up, but he had been barely responsive to that. The entire of Pallet Town had been sad to see Ash so depressed, even Gary whom he usually had a hard time getting along with.

Obviously, he had cheered up a little since then and at times like today, he was almost back to his old, cheerful self but he still wasn't the same playful little kid he used to be. It was as if he had lost his childish spark when he lost his friend, as if Serena had taken it with her when she and her mother moved to... actually, Delia had no idea where they had moved to. Grace had mentioned that the Kalos Region had the best Rhyhorn Racing League in the world so she guessed that was where she had wanted to come eventually, but she wasn't sure. Anyway, wherever Serena had moved, she seemed to have taken Ash's childish personality with her. Since they moved, Delia had noticed that Ash had been a lot more hardworking in school and he had even began to do extra studies on Pokemon in his free time. That was something she had never seen him do while Serena still lived here and even though she was glad that he had taken his last two years of Pokemon Studies seriously, she wished that it had come at a lower price.

**Ding Dong! Ding Dong!**

The sound of the doorbell ringing through the house brought Delia out of her thoughts and caused Ash to look up from his birthday cake with cream around his mouth. Both Ketchums frowned as they looked in the direction the door. Delia wasn't expecting anyone and Ash wondered who would be coming aroung this early in the morning. Wondering the same thing, Delia got up from her seat and walked out of the room to see who it was that had rang the doorbell. Ash decided to wait in the kitchen and try to finish his cake so that when his mother came back, he would be allowed to open his birthday present.

It took a little while before Delia returned to the kitchen and when she finally did, Ash was already finished with his piece of cake. To the boy's surprise however, his mother was carrying a cubical box on her hand, wrapped up in present paper and tied with a large ribbon.

"What's that?" he asked, curious as to what the small package really was. It looked almost like...

"It appears someone have sent you a gift for your birthday, dear." Delia said with a smile as she sat the small box down next to the still wrapped up gift she herself had bought for her son.

This caused Ash's grin to grow wider. Someone had sent him a gift? He usually only got one gift and that was from his mom. Well, he used to get a small gift from Serena too when she lived here but... wait, could that be it? Could it be Serena who sent him this gift? Was that why it had come with the post? It would certainly explain why...

"Did it say who sent it?"

Looking expectantly at his mother, Ash was slightly disappointed when she shook her head.

"No, it didn't say. But whoever did send it got your adress so it must be someone you know." Delia said.

That caused Ash to perk up a little. Perhaps there was a note inside the package? If the person who sent the package knew him somehow, then who else could it be? He had never been far outside of Pallet Town so it had to be from her, right? He didn't know anyone else outside of his hometown. Well, he would find out soon enough. First, he wanted to see what was in the present his mom had gotten for him. It had been standing there on the table and teased him all morning!

"Well, I guess we'll find out in a few minutes. First, I wanna see what you got me!" Ash said as he reached over and finally lifted the slightly larger present from the table.

Delia smiled at the excitement Ash showed at opening his birthday present. She hadn't seen him look this energic since... well, before the incident she had been thinking about earlier. She really hoped he would like what she had gotten him. It hadn't been easy to find something that he could take with him on his journey. She wanted whatever she got him to be of help in some way, but at the same time not take up too much space. When you packed your bag for a Pokemon Journey, there was a very limited amount of space to fill. You couldn't pack too much or it would slow you down, but at the same time there was a lot that was important to keep with you.

As Ash tore open the present paper, he felt his heart beat in his chest with excitement. When he had finally got the wrapping paper off, he found... a book? Since when did his mom buy him books? Sure, he had began reading a bit more over the last few years, but he usually just borrowed one from Professor Oak's private library. Curious as to what his mom could have had in mind when she bought this book, Ash turned it around to read the title. _100 Useful Pokemon Moves and How to Teach Them. _The front of the book showed a pokemon, an Abra if Ash was not mistaken, forming a sphere of green energy between its hands. That in itself spoke volumes of how useful this book could be to any travelling Pokemon Trainer, because as far as Ash knew, the only move Abra could naturally learn before it evolved was Teleport.

"Thanks!" Ash said sincerely as he looked up on his mother with a sincere smile on his face.

"I'm glad you like it." his mom answered with a smile, but Ash was already reaching for the Mysterious Package, obviously unable to contain his excitement and curiousity. Delia couldn't really blame him for it. She too was curious as to who could have sent the package.

Unwrapping the small package, Ash found a clean white box. Frowning, he turned it upside down, and looked at it from all possible angles. Nop, there was no hint as to what was i the box. It was just... a simple box. Without further ado, Ash grabbed the top of the box and lifted it. And gasped. Inside the box, a single red and white Pokeball rested, held in place by a conformation of foam rubber.

"I-is that...?" he whispered as he reached inside the box with a shaky hand and grabbed the pokeball.

His mother didn't seem to know what to think. Who would send Ash a Pokeball for his birthday? To the best of her knowledge, Ash only had one friend who lived outside of Pallet Town and that was Serena, who lived wherever she lived nowadays. But this didn't look like something Serena would send him, and why would she send him anything at all anyway? She hadn't done that for the last few years and Ash hadn't even heard from her since she moved. So who else outside of Pallet would have a connection to Ash strong enough to... wait a minute. No... no, it couldn't be... _him_, could it? Delia felt a cold fear grip her heart as she looked down at the Pokeball in Ash's hand. Could it have been _him _that sent Ash this Pokeball?

While Delia was figuring out who had sent Ash the Pokeball, Ash had found a small note that had been hidden under the Pokeball and had opened it up to read. And what was said in the note caused his eyes to widen.

_Happy Thirteenth Birthday! This Pokemon have the potential to become the strongest of its kind. I handpicked him myself for you. Good Luck on your journey, my son!_

Son? Did that mean what Ash thought it meant? This Pokeball... this note... It had been his father who sent it? How could that be? His mother had told him that his father had died in an accident when Ash was still young! Ash felt his heart beat rapidly in his chest and his mind went highwire trying to process the implications of this note. No... it just couldn't be. Why would his mother lie to him?

Sneaking a peek over her son's shoulder, Delia almost thought her heart would stop beating in her chest. It really was. The one who had sent Ash this Pokeball... eh, Pokemon if you would believe the note had been none other than Ash's father. She swallowed as she thought about the man she had used to love with all her heart. She hadn't heard anything from him since they divorced. Why was he coming back to them just now?

"Why did you lie to me?"

The question echoed through Delia's mind. What was she supposed to say? Why had she told Ash that his father had died in an accident? Back then, she had thought that she did it to protect him from the truth, but the more she ahd thought about it and the longer time had went by, she had began to think that it had been as much an attempt to deny herself the truth as it had been denying Ash the truth.

"Ash... I don't really know why I lied. Your father left us when you were very young and I guess I just wanted to protect you from the knowledge that your father abandonned us." Delia's voice was shaking as she said this. She was usually a cheery person, but the thought of Ash's father always made her sink into a kind of semi-depressed state.

Ash didn't know how to react to that. To protect him? How could lying to him about his own father serve as protection from... anything? Why would she think that? Ash didn't get the reasoning behind it. But well, his father hadn't exactly tried to keep in contact, so he might as well have been dead. Well, whatever the reason he shouldn't ponder it now. Today was the day when he could legally receive his Pokemon Liscense! It would be one of the most important days of his life! Ponder why his mother had lied about a father he never even knew would not spoil this day for him!

"I don't get how that could protect me from anything, but it doesn't really matter. I just wish that you would have told me." he said as he instead raised the Pokeball he had gotten. The note had said that this pokemon had the potential to become the strongest of its kind. Why would someone he never knew give him such a pokemon, even if that person was his father? And what kind of Pokemon was it anyway? Without furhter ado, he threw the pokeball and in a flash of light, the pokemon was released.

When the light died down, it revealed a yellow mouse pokemon with red cheek pouches and a tail in the shape of a lightningbolt. It shook its head rapidly, as if trying to get its head clear from morning dizziness, before looking up at Ash.

"Pikachu!" it said.

Ash blinked as he looked down at the pokemon he had gotten. A Pikachu? His father had sent him a Pikachu? Not that there was anything wrong with that, but it was just a mouse! Sure, Raichu could be pretty strong and Electric-types in general tended to pack more of a punch than what could be seen on the outside, but it was a mouse!

"Uhm, hi there." Ash said as he bent down to scratch the Pikachu behind the ear.

That would prove to be a bad descision, because as soon as he touched the little Electric Rodent, it gave of a shriek and envelopped them both in a shock of electricty. Ash yelped in surprise and shock as the charge ran through his body and Delia gave of a shriek of surprise and took a step back. After a few moments of shock, Pikachu let up, allowing Ash to fall to the floor in a heap of twitching limbs and fried clothes.

"Oh my Arceus, are you ok honey?" Delia excaimed and was quickly by Ash's side.

The boy in question groaned and coughed out some smoke from being shocked, but otherwise he seemed to be okay. He sat up and shook his head to clear it from the dizziness that had come with getting who knows how many volts through his body.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he said, but quickly turned around to glare at the electric mouse that had caused the problem. "Hey, what was that for?!"

Pikachu just glared at his new trainer, letting his cheeks spark with electricity to warn the boy to stay away. Ash frowned when he saw the hostility the pokemon in question showed towards him. Had he done something wrong? They had only just met and already was this pokemon behaving as if he had tried to hit it. Judging by the look he was receiving from Pikachu, the electric mouse felt threatened by him or at least saw him as not trustworthy. He had read that some pokemon could be hostile towards humans, based on earlier interrations it may have had with other humans. Could that be it? Had his father behaved poorly towards this little guy?

"Hey, I'm not dangerous. Come here." Ash tried to reassure Pikachu and held out both his hands to show that he meant no harm. However, that didn't seem to work because rather than calming down, Pikachu took a step backwards and growled towards him. Ash tried to put on his best smile to try and give a good impression, but it didn't seem like Pikachu would have any of it. He seemed to have made up his mind. According to him, Ash was apparently a bad guy.

"Uhm, Ash honey? Perhaps you should leave Pikachu to himself for a little while? He seems to be a little tense being in an unfamiliar environment. Perhaps he will be easier to talk to after he have gotten a little more accustomed to the new surroundings?"

Ash took a moment to think about it. That did sound pretty reasonable. He cast one last look at Pikachu, hoping that he would see any kind of change in his behavior, but was sorely disappointed. Pikachu was still glaring at him as if he wanted nothing more than shock him again. He sighed and stood up again.

"I guess so. Just make sure he won't run away." Ash said.

**-X-Y-Z-**

In another small town, in another region on the other side of the globe, a 13 year girl was just getting ready for bed. It was only a day away now. In just one more day, she would leave on her first Pokemon journey. But it wasn't the journey itself that occupied her thoughts at the moment, but rather what she had planned to do, once she got to Lumiose City. And particularly, the reason she had made up this crazy plan of hers.

'_I wonder if he will recognize me.' _she thought as she checked over her bag to make sure she had everything. She had spent the last day preparing her bag for the journey ahead of her. Going on a journey in itself was a very big step but this plan she had cooked up? That was just complete madness. But at the same time, this was probably as good as chance as she would ever get to come back to her _real _home.

She had been pleasantly surprised when Professor Sycamore had offered her the chance to receive a pokemon. It was not something she had expected, but nevertheless she had been glad to be given the opportunity. Of course, she had a suspiscion that her receiving a Pokemon was due to her mother's friendship with Professor Sycamore himself, but to be honest, she didn't really care for the reason behind it. She had been given a chance and she was going to take it, even if it meant going behind her mother's back. It wasn't like she had never done that before. It was only that this time, what she did would probably have a slightly bigger impact on her and her mother's life.

Absentmindedly, Serena dug throw her shoulderbag and found a pair of sneakers that she probably didn't need. She would probably wear the same boots all the time anyway so having a pair of sneakers would probably just take up space. And did she really need this many extra shirts? Sure, she wanted to be hygienic, but if she was going to be able to fit a sleeping bag into her shoulderbag, she would need to cut down on her clothes. Three sets of outfits would probably be enough. And this black shirt didn't really look too comfortable to walk long distances in. It was very fashionable, yes, but definetely not a good choice for travelling and camping, she thought as she tossed it aside.

"Fenne!"

Hearing the surprised cry, Serena looked up from her bag to find that she had tossed the shirt straight at Fennekin, the little Fire-type Pokemon she had chosen as her starter pokemon. The little Fox Pokemon had managed to tangle itself up in the fabric and was now desperately fighting to try and regain its freedom. Seeing the poor little Fire-type struggle against the shirt, Serena couldn't help but giggle as she got up and walked over to her new friend.

"Wait, sit still Fennekin. I'll get it off you." she said gently as she sat down on her bed next to the struggling Fox Pokemon.

Fennekin stopped struggling when she heard her new trainer's voice and sat down completely still, allowing Serena to grab the farbic and gently help her get out of the shirt. As soon as she had gotten loose, Fennekin shook her head and gave a relieved "Fenne!" as thanks to Serena. The honey-blonde girl smiled and reached down to pat the little Firefox on the head and scratch it behind the ears, something that was appreciated by said pokemon greatly.

Serena kept smiling as she patted her starter pokemon. How she wished that Ash could have been there when she picked out her first pokemon. Her smile faltered slightly as she looked over towards her bedside table, where a picture of her and her best friend was placed within a photoframe. The picture showed an 8 year old Serena being hugged from behind by a black haired boy, who had his head hanging over her shoulder, grinning widely while Serena herself smiled happily. Serena felt a by now very familiar sense of loneliness build up in her chest as she looked at the picture and sighed. It had been taken just a few weeks before her mother had decided that they should break up their life and move away from Kanto. It had been a rather abruptly decided move, which only added to Serena's anger at the descision alltogether.

"Fennene?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Serena looked down to see that Fennekin was staring at the picture. She had obviously spaced out a little when she thought about Ash and Fennekin must have noticed that her gaze had been locked on the photoframe. As the firefox looked up at her trainer, Serena tried to give a reassuring smile as she reached over and grabbed the frame.

"It's nothing Fennekin. Don't worry." she said as she held the photoframe closer so Fennekin could see the boy in the picture clearly.

The little firefox sniffed the frame for a few seconds, before its gaze locked onto the smiling boy who had his arms around the younger version of her trainer. After staring at the smiling face for a little while, Fennekin looked up at her trainer with questioning eyes.

"Fenne?"

"You're wondering who this boy is, Fennekin?" Serena asked as she put the frame back where it belonged.

Fennekin nodded and looked back over at the frame. She hadn't known Serena for long, but the mere fact that the picture was so old felt strange to Fennekin. While she was still a very young pokemon, it didn't make sense that Serena would keep an old picture of someone whom she could have taken a new one with.

Serena also looked over at the frame again, thinking back to the time she had spent with Ash in their hometown of Pallet. She hadn't spoken to anyone about it for years. But well, Fennekin was supposed to come with her in her attempt to return to her hometown and search out this particular friend, so it wasn't more than right that she told her why Ash of all people was so important to her.

"His name is Ash Ketchum and we used to be best friends before I moved here."

At this, Fennekin looked up at her trainer in surprise. Serena hadn't always lived here?

"You see, I originally lived in another region named Kanto, in a small town called Pallet Town. Back then, Ash and I were neighbours and we always did everything together. My mom was always busy with her carrieer as a Rhyhorn Racer so I often lived at his house too, when she was away at tournaments for a week and stuff like that. Some people even went as far as to call us siblings."

Here, Serena made a pause. Yes... they had been like siblings and sometimes Serena still wished they could have been siblings for real. Then nothing would have been able to separate them. As much as it hurt to admit it, Serena had often found herself wishing that Delia could have been her mother instead of Grace. It wasn't that Grace didn't love her, because somewhere deep down Serena knew that her mother really did love her. It was just... she had a very hard time showing it. Delia was everything that Grace wasn't when it came to being a mother. She was kind and caring, she always took the time to listen to what her children, Serena included even though she wasn't really her child, had to say and she always had the time to help out if she was needed. Not that Grace wasn't caring in her own way, but she never had the time to show it. And she never listened to what Serena said. She was always busy with something, be it Rhyhorn Racing, cooking or preparing for an important meeting or party or whatever. Serena had always felt more at peace when she was staying at Ash's house and that wasn't even including the fact that she got to spend time together with her best friend.

"Fennene?"

Oops. She had spaced out again. Did she always do that when she was thinking about her past? Shaking her head to clear it of the distracting thoughts, Serena looked down at Fennekin that was sitting in her lap, looking up at her with curious eyes. It was as if the little firefox was trying to tell her to continue on with her tale. So, after taking an extra moment to consider how to put it, she did just that.

"But then, my mom decided that we should move to Kalos and leave Kanto behind. I didn't want to go, but as usual she didn't listen to a word I said. One day I was playing happily with my best friend and just a few days later, I am forced to pack all my stuff and leave everything I know. That was 5 years ago."

By this point, Serena felt her eyes tear up slightly at the memory of her mother telling her that they were moving. For her inner eye, she saw Ash's shocked face when she told him the horrible news. She still remembered the tears they had shed together and their shared anger against her mother. It was still to this day one of the worst moments of her life, if not the worst of them all. Sure, she had received a few scrapes here and there and had even managed to land herself in the hospital one or two times while playing in the forest when she was younger, but that time when she had to tell Ash that she was moving away and the day when she sat in the car and saw Pallet Town, and Ash, disappear behind her... that pain had been even worse than all her many scrapes, bruises or injuries she had received in her life put together. It had felt like her chest would tear itself open, as if her heart had been split in two. She remembered that she had cried all the way to the airport, where her mother had told her to at least try and stiffle her cries to keep up appearences. That of course had only served to increase Serena's anger, but she had complied with it.

"Ever since then, I haven't really felt happy again. Sure, there have been times when I have felt happy over a certain event or thing, but I haven't really felt that I have enjoyed my life the way I used to. I just miss him so much and can't stop thinking about the promise we made to each other when we were still kids." Serena said as she thought about all the times they had just sat together and talked, discussing their dreams for the future and what they hoped to achieve. They used to sit up late at nights when Serena stayed at his house and try to imagine how their future would turn out. They had it all planned out. They were going to travel the Kanto region together. Ash was going to challenge the Gyms and Serena was going to... well, she had just wanted to travel around and see all the pokemon in the world. When she had mentioned that to Professor Oak, the old man had smiled and said that she should strive to complete his special trainer tool, the Pokedex. So that had been their plan... Ash would become the strongest trainer in history and Serena would become the first trainer to complete the entire Pokedex.

Fennekin looked up at her trainer. Being a very young pokemon, this was the first time she had seen a human cry. Or well, Serena wasn't crying out loud, but the streams of water sailing down her cheeks... they had to be tears, right? Fennekin wasn't sure if humans could cry. She had been born and raised at the lab and the only humans she had constant contact with were Professor Sycamore and Sophie, the caretaker. And neither of them had cried at any point. Did humans cry? Well, it sure looked like they did... But what was she supposed to do? Remembering that Sophie used to pat her when she herself was sad or hurt, Fennekin moved over and began rubbing her head against Serena's arm.

Feeling the soft touch at her arms, Serena snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at her arm, where she found her starter Pokemon rubbing her head against her skin. The little firefox gave a cat-like purr and looked up at her with its big, orange eyes. Despite the tears still being visible on her cheeks, Serena couldn't help but giggle at her new friend's attempt to comfort her. She didn't know if it was because Fennekin's fur tickled her skin or if it was because she appreciated the gesture, but Serena reached down to lift the little Fox Pokemon off the bed and hug it close to her chest.

"It's okay Fennekin. Or at least it will be, thanks to you. I got a plan." she whispered in the little Fox Pokemon's ear, causing the furry ear to twitch and Fennekin to look up at her trainer.

"You see, now that I got you I will be allowed to leave Vaniville and journey around Kalos. But there is an airport in Lumiose City, which isn't too far away from here. We are going to take a flight back home, back to Kanto. Is that okay with you?"

Fennekin blinked in surprise but then eagerly nodded her head. If she could help, then she would be happy to do it. They might not have known each other for very long, but Serena was already the best friend Fennekin had ever had and she wanted to help her in any way she could. And travelling to a different region sounded interesting. A little scary of course, but interesting. Serena gleamed up at this and immediately went into telling Fennekin all that she remembered about Kanto and Pallet. She told her stories about how she and Ash always managed to cause trouble back when they were kids and all the moments they had shared and what she hoped to accomplish now that she was going back home to Kanto again.

The two was so engrossed in their talking that they didn't notice the door stood ajar, nor the pair of blue eyes that was looking sadly at the two as Serena finally talked about Kanto, something that she hadn't willingly done since they left the region 5 years ago. Not wanting to disturb her daughter when she was finally opening up to someone, even if it was a fire sneezing fox, Grace closed the door to Serena's room and made her way back downstairs.

**-X-Y-Z-**

Unfortunately for Ash and Delia, it appeared they had been wrong when they hoped that Pikachu would open up after getting used to his new surroundings. As soon as they turned their backs to him, Pikachu had attempted to smash the window to escape and it was only by catching him and rolling him up in the tablecloth that they managed to keep him at least decently contained without needing to resort to returning him to his Pokeball. After a little while, they had tried to give him free reign again, but the electric rodent had made yet another attempt to regain its freedom by trying to escape up through the chimney and once again, they had only barely managed to reconfine him. The same process had repeated itself no less than 5 times over the forenoon and so far 2 times already since lunch. Ash was currently sitting by the desk in his room, trying to fill in his application for an official Pokemon Liscense to send off to the Pokemon League, but he found it hard to concentrate as he kept glancing at the electric mouse that was sitting in the corner of his room. After lunch, Delia had gone over to Professor Oak's laboratory and explained the situation and come back with a kind of glass capsule that they had currently locked up Pikachu in to keep him from escaping or hurting either them or himself. It pained both Ketchum's to resort to such meassures, but there really wasn't much else they could do as it stood. If this kept up, they would have lost Pikachu by the end of the day.

However, desperate meassure or not, it bothered Ash a lot to have the little yellow rodent just sitting in his capsule in the corner and glaring at him while he was trying to concentrate. He really wanted to befriend the little Mouse Pokemon, but so far he had not made any progress. There was nothing wrong with a Pikachu and though he had doubted its power a little when he had first seen it... well, let's just say that Pikachu had proved him wrong. His dad, whoever he was, definetely knew what he was talking about when he said that this Pikachu could become the strongest of its kind.

After a lot of sighs and nervous glances, Ash had finally managed to fill in his application and close the envelope. It had only taken him 3 hours... It was already getting dark outside and Pikachu looked as hostile as ever.

"Why are you being so hard on us, Pikachu? Is it because you don't like us?" Ash asked while looking at the Electric Rodent.

Pikachu gritted his teeth (which really wasn't that threatening) and let sparks of electricity rain from his cheek pouches (which was all the more threatening). It wasn't hard to read between the lines and say that for whatever reason, Pikachu flat out hated humans. And at the moment, Ash and Delia in particular found themselves at the receiving end of that.

"Ok, maybe that was a stupid question. But please Pikachu, can't we just turn over another page? I really just want to be friends with you, but that is kind of hard when you are attacking me all the time."

The electric rodent showed no interest in his suggestion and since he couldn't do anything to hurt Ash because of the glass capsule, he instead opted to snort and turn away. Seeing that he wouldn't get a positive reaction out of the yellow electric type, Ash sighed and stood up. Without a word, he made his way over to his closet and opened it before he began to dig around for something. After a minute of looking through the closet, he pulled out a few blankets in different colors and tossed them to the ground before he left the room. After a few minutes, he returned with a large cardboardbox, a scissor and a roll of duct tape. Despite his dislike for the boy, Pikachu couldn't help but perk up with slight curiousity. What was Ash up to?

Now having gathered everything he needed, Ash took his things and went over to the corner that was furthest away from his bed and began working. He whistled cheerfully while he cut the cardboardbox (*insert Pokemon Theme Song here*) and then he began taping it up so that it resembled... a doghouse?

When the cardboard-doghouse was finished, Ash went over to retrieve the blankets and crept into the little house, obviously trying to make it comfortable in there with the soft blankets. He then went back downstairs and came back with a bowl filled with Pokemon Food that he sat down in front of the little Pokemon house.

"Let's take it one step at a time then. I am going to let you out of that capsule for now while I run an errand for mom. If you behave and is still here when I come back, I will let you stay out until I get any reason to return you to your capsule. Ok?"

Pikachu didn't know what to think abobut Ash's sudden change in behaviour. Ah well, it didn't matter. If he was going to be left alone for a little while, then he would have a golden opportunity to escape. So without a doubt, he nodded his assent and allowed Ash to come over and release him from his glass prison. As soon as he was free, he shot straight towards the makeshift Pokemon House and took cover within its (not so) protective walls. Ash looked at the hosue that now housed his first own pokemon for a moment before picking it up the envelope that was still resting on his desk. Just as he was about to leave the room, he turned around.

"I will be right back, as soon as I have sent off this letter and dropped by Professor Oak's lab to pick something up for mom."

And with that, he left Pikachu all to himself. He did close the door, but if Pikachu really wanted to escape he knew the electric rodent wouldn't have any problem blowing its way through it with a Thundershock. He closed it more as a way of showing that he really meant stay there, in the room. Feeling his heart beat in his chest with fear that Pikachu would actually be gone, Ash made his way out of the house, wishing with all his heart that Pikachu would still be there when he got home.

Back in the room, Pikachu peaked out from his little makeshift home and studied his surroundings. All clear. Ash was gone and it didn't look like there was anyhting that could possibly stop him now. Not wasting any time, he darted across the room and jumped ontot he windowsill, using his tail to open the window. The window swung open and he breathed in the fresh air of nature. He was close to the forest. This was it. He was finally free!

However, the moment was ruined by the growl that came from his stomach. Grimacing at the feeling of starvation that overtook him, Pikachu turned back towards the bowl of Pokemon food that was placed in front of his makeshift home. He hadn't eaten decently for quite a while... perhaps it wouldn't hurt to just finish off that bowl before he left?

He cast one look out the window and saw that the sky was darkening. It would soon be dark outside and he didn't have anywhere in particular to go if a storm should rise up. And even though it hurt to admit it, those blankets had felt pretty comfortable... perhaps he could stay here, just for the night? To get a little fed and a good night sleep before his sweet escape? With that thought in mind, Pikachu jumped down from the windowsill and made his way over to his makeshift home. _'Just for one night.' _he thought as he took his bowl and burried himself underneath the comfortbable and warm blankets.

* * *

**A/N: **_So, I guess that's it. The first chapter of this new story. Now, I want to make sure that everyone understands that this fic won't receive the same fast update treatment that Serene Phoenix did at the start of its lifecycle. This story will be kind of like Estranged is for Hidden Prodigy, a fic I work on now and then, while I still got a "main" fic that I work on consistently. If you think the priority should be reversed so that this fic become my main Pokemon Project and Serene Phoenix become my secondary fic, then please say so in a review. _

_As usual, I want to discourage all kinds of flames. It is just stupid and if you insist on flaming me, then please be decent enough to use an account so I can report you and get you banned from this site. I appreciate constructive critiscism, but the critique needs to have a solid ground, as well as exclude personal insults to not count as flames. _

_Now like my other Pokemon Story, this will feature my special section, the Oakdex, where I give you a Pokedex entry from any game and give you my thoughts on it so here goes:_

**Oakdex of the day: **Kabutops, Pokemon Y Version

_"A slim and fast swimmer. It slices its prey with its sharp sickles and drinks their body fuilds."_

**_Oakdex: _**_Ok... this pokedex entry is actually originally from an older game, but let's stick to what it actually says. Kabutops slices its prey open and sucks their body fluids... it doesn't mention what fluid in particular, but considering that he evolves from a creature that looks like a bloodsucker... at least I get the feeling that there is a special fluid Kabutops might be seeking. Just imagining something being sliced open and then have their body fluids sucked gives me the creeps, but thinking of blood specifically... eww, Kabutops is the Pokemon World's ancient equavelent of Edward Cullen. Did Pokemon try to keep this children friendly by not mentioning blood specifically? Noo wait, that can't be it either... Then why would one of the Spirit Channelers in Lavender Town's Pokemon Tower scream: "Give... me... BLOOD!"? No, that's definetely not it, but whatever the reason, I think we can all agree on that Kabutops is not a guy you want to meet in an adanbonned alley. _

**Cont. A/N: **_And with that, I thank you for taking the time to read this first chapter and I hope you liked it. I would gladly accept your comments on this and I hope that this will be well received by at least some of you. Have a nice day! _


	2. Leaving Home

**A/N**: _Well, hello there guys. I am really really really really really sorry for the long wait! I don't have any excuse, other than a veeeeeery long list of stuff that's been going on irl. To name a few: exams, essays, homework, girlfriend. And the list goes on, and on, and on. Anyway, your chapter is finally here and I hope that you can still enjoy it!_

* * *

**Chapter One: **Leaving Home

"Gah! I've told you a thousand times not to wake me up like that, Fletchling!"

The sudden outburst of her trainer woke Fennekin up from her comfortable sleep. She yawned sleepily and opened one of her eyes to find Serena had gotten to her feet and was currently trying to hit her mother's Fletchling with her pillow, in retaliation for waking her up. This appeared to be a morning ritual for Serena, because the same thing had happened both the previous morning, and the morning before that as well. Understanding that she wouldn't get anymore sleep today, Fennekin shook her head to try and wake herself up a little better and stretched out on the bed, yawning from drowsiness.

Serena sighed in exasperation as Fletchling dodged yet another pillow throw directed towards him and took off down the stairs, all the while chirping happily. Why couldn't her mother just set a normal wake up call instead of sending a bird to pick her in the head? But ah well, this had been the routine ever since she caught that Fletchling. If Serena didn't know better, she would say that Grace had caught Fletchling solely to use him as Serena's wake up call, because other than that, Fletchling really didn't do much.

But for once, she actually didn't mind to be woken up. Today was the day after all. Today she would start her Pokemon Journey! And today, she would take the first step in her quest to get back home to Kanto. Back to Pallet. Back to _Ash! _

The mere thought of reuniting with her best friend again made Serena feel all giddy inside. She couldn't wait to finally get going. With that thought in mind, she eagerly got up and went over to the window and opened it. The early morning breezes stroked her hair and tickled her skin, cooling it down from the warmth of her bedroom. She drew in a deep breath and breathed out again, just as Fennekin joined her by jumping up onto the windowsill. As if synchronized, both trainer and pokemon yawned and stretched out their arms, resulting in Fennekin falling backwards from the windowsill and Serena to giggle at her friend's expense. Fennekin however quicky got up and shook her head to clear it from the fall. Serena smiled at her pokemon's antics and bent down to scratch the little firefox behind the ears.

"You know what day today is, right Fennekin?" she asked and received a 'Fenne!' in response.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Serena got up and decided that she would take a shower before she got down for breakfast. With that thought in mind, she got out of her nightgown and grabbed a towel. As she left her room, she noticed Fennekin laying back down on her bed again, but decided not to comment on it. After all, these first days would most likely be very tiring for them before they got used to travelling.

**-X-Y-Z-**

"Here you go buddy. Dinner!" Ash said as he set down a bowl of Pokemon food in front of Pikachu's little hut. He waited in anticipation to see if the yellow rodent would willingly come out to get it, but when he didn't even stick his nose outside of the protective walls of the cardboard box, Ash just sighed and made his way back over to his bed and laid down, grabbing the book his mother had given him for his birthday.

After a little while, Pikachu finally showed himself as he crept out of the hut and began chewing down his dinner. Ash had been positively surprised to find that Pikachu had still been in his room when he got back from his errand. The yellow rodent had been sleeping peacefully in his hut, looking completely drained from the day. Well, Ash could't really blame him. He would probably also be pretty tired if he had been as tense as Pikachu had been the entire day.

Ash absentmindedly turned a page in his book as he studied his first pokemon out of the corner of his eye. For now, the little rodent seemed to be pretty relaxed, but he was still not too eager to let Ash anywhere near him. They seemed to have come to a silent agreement that as long as Ash stayed on arm's lenght from the rodent, Pikachu would not shock him. At least that was an improvement from the outright hostility Pikachu had shown when he first got here.

As he watched the little Electric type finish his dinner, Ash sighed and put away his book. He wouldn't be able to focus on reading as long as he thought about Pikachu. It was really interesting reading and it gave him tons of ideas for what to do, once he got out on the road. But he couldn't keep his mind at training while he wondered why Pikachu disliked humans so much. It was obvious that he had been exposed to some kind of treatment that didn't sit too well with him by humans at some point in his life and that in itself bothered Ash a lot, since he was supposedly a gift from his father. Had his father been harsh on him? If so, then how long had it been his father that owned him? Or had someone else treated him badly before his father caught him?

While he was thinking about this, Pikachu had finished his dinner and noticed that Ash was staring at him. Instinctively, he took a step back and sent electricity to his cheeks, causing his cheek pouches to spark threateningly. Why was the human staring at him like that?

Seeing that Pikachu was growing unnerved by his staring, Ash quickly raised his hands in front of him to show that he wasn't going to hurt him. He had already been shocked more times than he wanted to count today and he didn't feel like being shocked again. Pikachu hadn't shocked him since he let him out of the glass capsule, but judging by the look on the rodent's face as of now, he still wasn't above using shocks to talk for him.

"Relax buddy, I'm not going to hurt you!" Ash tried to reason with him.

Pikachu gave him a very suspiscious look, but after a few seconds, he relaxed slightly and his cheeks stopped sparkling with electricity. He still kept his eyes fixed on Ash though, still not trusting the human.

Ash lowered his hands and stood up. Pikachu tensed again as he watched Ash move over towards him and immediately resumed his defensive stance. When Ash saw Pikachu stiffen and growl at him, he stopped again.

"Easy there buddy, I just want to talk to you."

"Pika..." Pikachu seemed to be sceptical to Ash's claim.

Realizing that Pikachu still didn't feel comfortable enough to let him anywhere near him, Ash sat down on the floor where he stood instead, trying to make himself look less threatening. He had heard that making yourself look smaller was a good way to do that. And sure enough, Pikachu seemed to relax a little when he saw that Ash no longer towered over him in height. That was a good sign.

"Listen Pikachu. I don't know what humans did to you in the past, but we're not all bad people. I really just want to be friends with you, but to do that I need you to relax while in my presence. I can't prove that I am your friend if you keep shocking me whenever I get within range of your Thundershock."

"Pi-pikachu!"

"You're saying I deserved being shocked?"

"Pi!"

"How come? I didn't do anything!"

At this, Pikachu gave another "Pika!" and pointed towards the glass capsule Ash and his mother had used to contain the little rodent when he became too much to handle, earlier that day. Looking at it, Ash felt a little bad for locking the electric mouse up like that, but what choice did they have? And what did that have to do with this? Pikachu had been set on hating them since before they locked him up.

"But we didn't lock you up until after you became too much to handle? There must be something else?" Ash tried to reason with his pokemon.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

Once more, Pikachu pointed at the capsule and began gesturing wildly with his arms. Ash frowned as he watched the electric rodent try to convey his message. Well, at least he wasn't being as hostile as he used to. But what was he trying to say? It had to be something with the capsule and it was supposed to be a reason for his hatred against humans... wait a sec!

"You're saying that humans locked you up like that in the past?!" Ash gasped as he realized what the gesturing electric mouse was trying to say.

"Pikah!" Pikachu nodded.

Ash didn't know what to think. Had his father used similar methods to keep Pikachu in check? Why would he need to do that if Pikachu had a pokeball anyway? It didn't make any sense to Ash. Obviously, his father had caught Pikachu in a pokeball, so why would he need to contain Pikachu in a capsule? Unless Pikachu had been as hateful towards him and his father had wanted to try and keep Pikachu outside the pokeball. But that would mean that someone else had owned Pikachu before his father, because surely his father wouldn't treat Pikachu badly? And more importantly, what could he do to gain Pikachu's trust? It looked like Pikachu had indeed been treated poorly by humans in the past and if that was the case, then he would need to know what exactly had happened if he was to try and make amends for it. Not that whatever had happened was his fault in any way, but Pikachu didn't appear to be a reasonable fellow when it came to his past.

"Ok, if people treated me like that I guess I too would be kind of grumpy, but that's no reason to hate me now. If you don't want to be locked up, I will try not to lock you up but if you behave like you did this morning I can't just let you run along." Ash said as he looked over at his starter pokemon.

However, the electric rodent seemed to have lost interest in their conversation and was yawning openly and loudly, obviously exhausted after the day. He shook his head a few times and then, without warning, he laid down on the floor and fell asleep. Ash blinked in surprise at the sudden end of their conversation, but then he just shook his head. Pikachu had been tense all day, it was just natural he was tired. Sighing, he stood up and slowly and silently made his way over to the sleeping rodent and lifted him up, careful not to wake him, and carried him over to the little makeshift house he had made for his reluctant partner. Carefully, he set the rodent down on the warm and comfortable blankets and pulled one of the blankets over him to keep him warm.

"We will discuss that tomorrow then. In the meantime, just get some sleep." Ash whispered as he looked down on the Electric Mouse Pokemon fondly. Pikachu might not have been very friendly towards him so far, but he was still his first ever pokemon and Ash couldn't help but feel happy looking at him.

Trying not to make a sound, he stood up to go over and prepare for bed himself. It was getting late and he was feeling pretty tired himself after having tried to contain Pikachu all day. What he didn't notice though, was that the electric rodent squinted slightly with his right eye as Ash rose and turned his back to him. For Pikachu, this was something new. The human had actually taken the time to make sure he was comfortable before heading off to sleep himself. Why would he do that? It didn't match with the behavior he had come to know humans for. Pikachu's last thought before he fell asleep was that maybe, just maybe, this human could be an exception from what he thought all humans to be.

**-X-Y-Z-**

While Ash was preparing for bed in Kanto, his long lost best friend was preparing for something else over in her "new" home in Kalos. After her shower, Serena had went back to her room and gotten into her travelling gear. Fennekin had still been asleep when she left for breakfast, but when she returned to brush her teeth and make her last-second checkup to make sure she had everything she would need, the little Firefox had been wide awake again, obviously eager to get going.

'_Hmm, let's see here. I got my sleepingbag, some emergency provisions, three sets of extra clothes... Do I really need three? Hmm...' _Serena pondered as she lifted a set of extra clothes out of her bag and weighed it with her hands, then put the extra set back in and weighed it again, trying to determine if it was worth the extra weight to have a 4th set of clothes with her.

After having pondered her options, she decided that 2 extra sets of clothes would have to do. If things really came to the worst case scenario, she could probaby buy some extra clothes somewhere down the road. Making sure everything was packed safely in her bag, that she had her money and her Trainer's Liscence, her Pokedex and Fennekin's Pokeball, Serena headed downstairs. When she passed by the bed, Fennekin gave and excited "Fenn!" and jumped onto her shoulder. This caused Serena to smile, knowing that Fennekin was actually looking forward to their adventure as much as she did.

"Come on Fennekin! Let's go see the world!" she exclaimed excitedly, which Fennekin answered with yet another enthusiastic "Fenne!".

With her bag tossed over her shoulder and Fennekin on the other shoulder, Serena made her way downstairs, offered a quick "Good Bye Mom, cya!" and then turned to open the door. This might have seemed rude to most people, but given how strained Serena's and Grace's relation to one another had been since their move to Kalos, Serena didn't feel awkward at all at the sudden goodbye. And admitedly, neither did Grace, who cast a sad look at her daughter's retreating back, before she sighed and followed her out into the garden.

"Aren't you forgetting this now?" she asked as she reached inside her pocket.

Hearing her mother's question, Serena came to a stop and thought for a moment. Had she forgotten something? No, she couldn't have. She had checked her bag over and over and only brought the bare nescesities, so that she wouldn't be slowed down by a heavy bag. No, she was pretty sure she hadn't forgotten anything that wasn't absolutely nescesary.

"What are you talking about, mom?" she asked as she turned around. "I'm sure I got all..."

However, she never got to finish her sentence. As she turned around and her mother came into view, her gaze wandered to the outstretched hand. Serena felt her heart freeze and her chest constrict with shock and fear as she saw what it was her mother was holding. Her eyes widened and she suddenly found it hard to breathe or think clearly, because there, in her mother's open palm, laid her flight ticket.

"You weren't going to leave without this, were you?" Grace said as she took the step down the stairs and began walking up to Serena.

Serena stood there, frozen in place. She couldn't move, she couldn't think straight. She had been caught! How had her mother gotten ahold of the ticket?! Hadn't she put that away in... Oh no! She had hid it in a pile of clothes! A pile of clothes that must have been her laundry! If that was the case, then of course her mother would find it when she went to take the pile down for cleaning!

"E-ehm... I-it isn't what it..." Serena tried to form an excuse, but it was no use. She had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

Grace came to a stop in front of her and looked down at her with a thoughtful look (which really didn't say much, as they were almost the same height by now). Serena swallowed as she met the look her mother was giving her, but then she lowered her gaze to look at her feet. This was it. She had barely left for her journey before it got ripped from her. Her chance to finally get back home to Kanto, to meet Ash again, their dream of travelling the world together... it would all be ripped from her by one simply, stupid mistake! All because she had hid her flight ticket in the wrong pile of clothes!

Serena felt her throat constrict painfully and she had to swallow hard to keep herself from choking on her own breath. On her shoulder, Fennekin began to twist nervously, obviously sensing her trainer's distress. She didn't understand what was going on or why that piece of paper seemed to upset Serena so much, but she didn't like to see her friend so distraught.

"Serena, look at me." Grace said with a surprisingly soft voice.

The unexpected softness in Grace's voice was enough to cause Serena to look up at her in confusion. But what she saw when she looked up caused her to temporarily forget her own distress. Looking back at her was her mother's _tearfilled _eyes. Was her mother crying? Since when did her mother cry? Was it because she was angry? No, it didn't look like it. The look in her eyes wasn't furious, it didn't even hold any kind of anger in them. They just looked... sad?

"Serena, how did it come to this?" Grace whispered and held up the ticket. "Is this really how far we have fallen apart?"

For a moment, Serena considered her words. Yes... this was how far they had fallen apart. She looked away from her mother and kept her gaze fixated on the ground a few feet to her left. What was this about? Shouldn't it be obvious, even to her mother, what this meant?

"If you have to ask, you're probably incapable of understanding." Serena replied with a cold voice.

She cringed inwardly at how hollow and cold her voice sounded. Even Fennekin on her shoulder cringed at the sound that came out of her trainer's mouth. It sounded so different from the cheerful and warm tone that Serena usually had that it caused Fennekin's fur to stand on end. Noticing the little Pokemon's discomfort with the situation, Serena silently pulled out her pokeball and returned her, not wanting any distractions from this conversation.

"Serena, please! I just want to understand how it came down to this! I understand that you want to go back, I really do, but why did you have to go behind my back to do it?"

The statement caused Serena's blood to boil and she almost saw red as she rounded on her mother. Didn't she understand?!

"Why? You want to know WHY I had to go behind your back?! Because you NEVER listen!" Serena almost roared at her mother, feeling the anger that had been building over 5 years finally come to the surface.

Now, it was Grace's turn to cringe. Her tearful eyes widened and she took an instinctive step backwards, away from her furious daughter. Serena however, didn't move an inch and before she could stop herself, she kept rambling up all the things that had caused them to fall apart.

"You ALWAYS ignored me when I needed help with something! You ALWAYS had something more important to do! You NEVER had any time to spend with me, YOUR OWN DAUGHTER! I spent more time with ASH and even with GARY for Arceus sake! I slept more in the Ketchum's GUESTROOM than I did in my OWN room, because you ALWAYS were gone somewhere, doing something more IMPORTANT!"

Hearing Serena list off the things that she had been furious over, but had kept locked up inside, Grace realized that this went deeper than simply their move to Kalos. That was just the last straw that had caused the goblet to pour over. This went back to Serena's earlier childhood, back to the time they had spent in Pallet Town when she was a kid. And with a sting of regret, she realized that Serena was right. How much time had she really spent on her daughter? How often had she actually been of help to her when she had asked for it?

While Grace was beginning to realize that it wasn't a matter of having fallen apart, but rather a matter of never having been as close as she might have thought, Serena was trying to calm herself down. She was panting with anger and felt her heart beat wildly in her chest, but she had to calm down. But that was easier said than done. When she couldn't surpress her anger, she settled for glaring at her mother, who was trembling with emotion as she came to terms with how the situation really looked between them. It tore slightly at Serena's heart to see her mother in so much distress because somewhere deep down, she knew that her mother truly did love her, but at the moment, she was too angry to let that feeling control her.

For a few moments, the mother and daughter didn't say anything to each other, each fighting their own internal battle. Serena to try and calm herself down from her outburst and Grace, trying to comprehend her mistakes in Serena's upbringing. After what felt like hours, but actually only were a few seconds, Grace frew a shaky breath to try and calm herself down.

"Will you be coming back?"

Suprised by her mother's question, Serena looked up. Coming back? What did she mean by that?

"What do you mean?" she couldn't help but ask, her anger slightly drained and her voice more even than it had been just a few moments ago.

Grace met Serena's eyes for a moment, but quickly looked away. She didn't want to see the answer in her eyes, she wanted to hear her daughter's answer spoken out loud.

"Will you be coming back ho... back to Vaniville again? After your journey I mean?"

Serena raised an eyebrow at her mother's change in wording, but didn't comment on it. She did, after all, not really see Vaniville as her "true" home. Well, it was still home in a way, but to her Pallet Town would always be "home". Would she come back to Vaniville after her journey... wait, what?

"You're still going to let me go on my journey?" she asked, shock evident in her voice.

Despite her reluctance, Grace turned back to look at her daughter. Serena's eyes no longer held the anger they had held the previous moments. Now, they were just full of shock. That must have been the quickest mood change Grace had seen but ah well, Serena was entering her teenage years after all...

"I realize that I made a mistake when I separated you and Ash and I am all okay with you going to Kanto. That was your dream after all, wasn't it? Travelling Kanto and the world with Ash?" she tried to offer Serena a smile, but she knew it was strained. "And just as moving to Kalos and become an Elite Rhyhorn Racer was my dream, you must follow your dream as well. As much as it hurts, I don't want to stand in your way for this."

As she said this, she reached out with her hand and pushed the ticket into Serena's grip. The honey blonde girl just stood there, staring at her mother as if she didn't believe her eyes. Well, she didn't really believe her eyes. She had been sure that her mother would refuse to let her go to Kanto, saying something along the lines of "It's too far away" or "It's too dangerous". Not that it would make any sense for her to first allow Serena to go on a journey and then say any of those things, but her mother never made sense! Hm... well, guess this behavior fit right in with her mother then.

"B-but I tried to sneak away! Aren't you angry?" Serena stammered, her mind not really comprehending what was happening.

Grace looked her daughter in the eyes and steadied her gaze.

"Well, of course I am but I am not blaming you for doing it. In a sense, you're doing just the same thing as I did when I moved us to Kalos, right?" she sighed and looked down on her own feet. "I was never one to listen to what other people thought. It wasn't just when it concerned you, it's been haunting me since I was a kid myself. I was always too stubborn for my own good. It was a trait that I sincerely hoped you wouldn't inherit but I guess it was a fools hope."

Serena blinked, not sure where this was coming from. Well, her mother was right that she was too stubborn for her own good, but was that a trait that _she _had inherited? It had never even crossed her mind until now, but now that her mother mentioned it, there really were some similarities between their behavior in certain situations...

Grace allowed Serena her time to think and process this information. It was funny, if Serena had just come and asked if she could go to Kanto Grace probably wouldn't have been so understanding. Somehow, trying to sneak behind her back had convinced Grace that Serena would have to make her descisions herself and that Grace would have to live with them, whether she liked them or not.

For a few moments, it looked like Serena wanted to say something, but she just opened her mouth, then shut it again without making a sound, as if she had forgotten how to form words with her tongue. Grace had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to say, but waited and allowed her the time to gather her thoughts on her own. She herself felt a little confused about how good she was taking this. When she had found that ticket hidden in Serena's pile of laundry, she had felt like her chest had just been frozen by a Cryognogal, but now that Serena had explained, albeit with a certain... hint, of aggression, she found that she didn't feel too bad about it after all. Oh, it was painful to accept that her daughter would be leaving, but in a way she couldn't help but feel... proud? Yeah, that was probably a pretty good way of summing it up. She felt proud that despite her obviously kind of poor parentage, Serena had grown up to become a strong-willed and headstrong young woman, ready to take on the world.

"If I come back here... when I'm done with my journey..." Serena said with a pensive voice, "what would I find here waiting for me?"

Grace blinked, before she realized what it was Serena was asking. Did she really have to ask? Oh, wait. Yeah, given all that had happened between them, she probably did, but there was no doubt in Grace's mind what her answer was.

"You would find your mother waiting with open arms. I..." here, she made a pause, carefully considering what she should tell Serena. She knew what she wanted to get through to her daughter, but wasn't quite as certain about the best way to do it. "I know that I've got a lot of flaws and that our history might not be the best, but I promise you Serena: if you come back, I'll do all I can to make your stay here worthwhile."

She was about to continue, but was cut off when her daughter slammed into her, hugging her in a way that she hadn't done for years. Sure, they had hugged now and then, but it had always been half hearted from Serena's part since... since they moved away. Grace's eyes widened in surprise and shock at the sudden display of affection, but then her eyes teared up and she threw her arms around Serena, hugging her back as she felt tears run down her cheeks.

"You stupid... stubborn, old..." she heard Serena mumble, before her voice became more coherent. "Of course I'll come back."

That was all Grace had wanted to hear. Swallowing harshly to try and get her tears under control, Grace broke the hug and looked down (eh, up?) at her daughter, who was currently wearing one of the most mixed and matched facial expressions Grace had ever seen. It looked like Serena had been trying to combine a happy but stern face with a thankful but sad one, the result of which looked too strange to put into words.

"Mom, I don't know how this came to be, but thanks for understanding." Serena said as she dried her tears with the back of her hand.

Grace lifter her hands and dried her own tears before answering.

"Just make sure to call home once in a while. You know I'll miss you terribly, right?"

Seemingly having recovered from their emotional discussion, Serena straightened into her full height and offered her mother a friendly smile. It was a bit weird, but she felt a lot lighter after having let that out, especially around her chest. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Of course, I'll call as soon as I land in Saffron City and then again when I find Ash. I promise."

Grace couldn't help but smile a little at the mention of the boy who had meant so much to Serena when they were younger, and had kept on influencing her growth even after 5 years of separation. She felt like she should thank him and Delia for all they had done for Serena, while she herself had been a selfish and stubborn... well, maybe jerk was a bit harsh but poor parent was a good way to sum it up.

"Ash huh? Just be sure to stay at a friendly level. I'm not ready to be a grandmother just yet."

Serena blinked in shock, not really sure if her mother had really said that. She felt her cheeks heat up as an image of her and an older Ash doing... never mind the details, slowly sailed into her head.

"Mom!" Serena cried in shock and took a few steps backwards. shocked that her mother would even suggest such a thing!

"I was only joking, Serena. You two used to look very cute together though." Grace laughed.

This did little to cool down Serena's heating cheeks and she swallowed and looked down in a futile attempt to hide it. What was her mother getting at? Of course, they had been best friends and... well, maybe Serena used to have somewhat of a crush on Ash after he "saved" her in the forest that day during summer camp, but really they were nothing more than friends, if they could even be called that anymore, since they hadn't spoken for so long. And how had this conversation moved from serious talk about Serena's and Grace's life to "jokes" about Serena's lovelife anyway?

"W-well, I'm leaving before you get any other funny ideas." Serena stammered and turned around, moving towards the gate. However, despite her furious blushing and her annoyance at her mother for ruining their good bye with such a... shameless joke, even after they made up, Serena found herself with a smile tugging at her lips.

Grace just laughed good heartedly and waved at Serena who, despite her obvious embarrassment at her mother's implications, waved back as she rounded the corner. Left behind was a smiling, although slightly confused Grace. That had been... one really weird conversation, in more ways than one. She didn't know quite what it was that had possessed her to make that last comment about Ash. It had kind of just slipped out. Maybe it was because she had just realized that her daughter would walk her own path and do whatever she wanted on that path from now on that had caused her to say it. But honestly, Grace couldn't think of anyone better suited for Serena than the person who had so far influenced her life so much. Back then, Ash had been Serena's world and from what little she had seen of the two, those feelings had been mutual.

It felt weird to, as a mother, be thinking anything positive at all about her daughter's possible first boyfriend, but well they weren't exactly a normal family. With a mother who had dragged her daughter halfway across the globe to ride a Rhyhorn in public, a daughter who had just attempted to sneak back the way she came after all these years and a father... Grace felt like someone had hit her in the face witha frying pan. Serena's father! That's right! Now that Serena was going back to Kanto, there was a risk that she would run into her father!

Would he recognize her? Would he be able to see the similarities between them? Did he even know that he had a daughter? Come to think of it, Grace wasn't sure if she had ever told him that she was pregnant before he left. She swallowed. What would happen if Serena and her father came face to face?

**-X-Y-Z**

Pikachu yawned and stretched out as the sun that was sippering in through the opening in his little hut woke him up. To be allowed to be woken up by the sun... he hadn't had that privilege since before he had been captured. Sitting up, he scratched himself behind the ear to try and get rid of a little sleepiness. He idly wondered what his trainer was up to... wait, had he just thought of the human as his trainer?!

As if that had been the signal, someone who was standing just outside the hut put down a bowl of fresh Pokemon food in front of it. Pikachu sniffed in the air, taking in the delicious smell of what he thought were Oran Berries and curiously made his way over to the opening, where the bowl stood waiting for him.

Ash, who had just walked back over to his desk and sat down with one of his books in front of him, looked up in surprise when Pikachu stuck his head out through the opening to study the bowl of food. He hadn't expected any reaction, he had thought the mouse was still asleep. He was about to ask if he had woken up and apologize if he had disturbed his sleep when he noticed something. Pikachu seemed to be a lot more relaxed than he had been just the other day. Instead of eyeing Ash suspiciously, he simply walked out into the open and sat down in front of the bowl and studied it with curiousitly.

"I mixed some mashed Oran Berries into the Pokemon food I got from the mart. It looked so dry so I thought that maybe you would want something to give it a little more taste." Ash said, watching Pikachu closely for a reaction.

The mouse looked up at him, not with any sign of hostility so far Ash noted, then looked back down at the bowl before picking up a piece of Pokefood and putting it in his mouth. After chewing at it for a few seconds, Pikachu's face lit up and he was not late to dig into the rest of the bowl.

While Pikachu was devouring the pokefood, Ash couldn't help but smile. It would seem that his actions late last night had at least had some effect on the little mouse. He was far from as tense and suspicious towards his surroundings as he had been back then. Maybe this wasn't such a lost cause after all.

"I'm glad you like it." Ash smiled towards the mouse. They had really done some progress over the few days that had passed since Ash had first recieved his starter.

The day after he had first gotten Pikachu, the mouse had still seemed a bit hostile towards him, but he hadn't been as tense as he had the first day. And as the day passed, he seemed to grow a little more accustomed to his surroundings and he had even refrained from doing any attempts at regaining his freedom. During the seconds day, Ash had taken the rash descision to allow Pikachu out into the garden, under surveilence of course. He had half expected Pikachu to dash off the moment he opened the door but to his great surprise and joy, Pikachu hadn't left and simply been trotting around the garden and looking at the plants that his mother was growing.

Now on the third day, Pikachu seemed to finally be accustomed enough not to tense up at the sight of Ash and that was something that made Ash feel happy. He was making some good progress! When Pikachu had finished his breakfast, he shook his head and gave a content sigh. Ash took this as the cue to present his plans for the day. His mail today had included a very awaited gift: his Pokemon Trainer Liscence! He could finally start on his journey and if he could have his way, he would already be on the road, but a stern look from his mom and kept him from rushing straight out into the forest and never come back.

Then, it was of course Pikachu. Ash didn't want to rush the little guy, not when it looked like he was finally warming up to him. After talking with his mother about it, they had decided that Ash should leave tomorrow, along with the other newbie trainers. That meant that Ash would need to warn Pikachu today or the mouse would most likely feel a little left out of the loop.

"Pika?"

Hearing his partner's voice, Ash snapped back out of his thoughts and was surprised to find the electric mouse looking at him with questioning eyes, almost as if he wanted to know something.

"You want to know what's gonna happen today, Pikachu?"

At the mouse's nod, Ash blinked. Pikachu actually wanted to know what they were gonna do? Well, that was new but good news regardless! With a grin, Ash stood up and walked over until he was about 1 meter away from Pikachu and kneeled down in front of him. Over the days, he had come to notice that this was as close as Pikachu would allow him to get without tensing up. It had of course been a little longer at first, but the mouse had seemingly warmed up a little to him since then so now they were here.

"Well guess what, I got my Trainer Liscence today! That means that you and I will be setting out on a journey tomorrow! Isn't that great?"

When Pikachu blinked in confusion and his ears twitched, Ash realized that maybe Pikachu hadn't been aware off their impendning journey before now? Come to think of it, he had never actually mentioned it in front of the electric mouse.

"You see, I'm going to travel the world. And I'll become the best Pokemon Trainer ever along the way, a true Pokemon Master!" he explained and offered Pikachu a confident smile. "It will be great! No walls to keep us in a limited space, no rules set up by mom and we can do pretty much whatever we want. Doesn't that sound great to you?"

Truth to be told, he wasn't quite sure what Pikachu would think about this. He had just gotten the mouse accustomed to his new home here in Pallet Town, after all. Maybe leaving so soon after was a little too fast? Perhaps Pikachu needed more time to open up?

"Pikachu!" the mouse exclaimed as it realized that this meant that he would be back in nature, back in freedom. At least, in a sense. He still wasn't too sure about this human, his "trainer", but he didn't seem to mean him any harm.

Ash could only take that enthusiastic exclaim as a shout of approval from Pikachu's side. This caused a smile to spread across his face as he felt his insides bubble with excitement. The time had finally come! He was really going to leave within a 24 hours! Leave and start his journey to become the strongest there ever was!

"Really? Then come one buddy! We got a lot of planning and packing to do!" he said enthusiastically and stood up.

Driven by his desire to get back to the nature where he belonged, Pikachu stood up and followed Ash to the door. Pikachu was starting to like this human, despite him being... well, _human_. And now, they were going to go out and live in the forest? That sure sounded good to him! Of course, he knew full well what travelling meant but really, travelling around the world didn't sound too bad to him, as long as he didn't get locked up in a glass capsule or a Pokeball again.

Feeling excitement overtake them, both trainer and Pokemon rushed down the stairs in search of Ash's mother, who was going to help the boy pack to make sure that he had everything. They may still not be the best of friends and they still got a long way to go, but this would be the start of a long and powerful friendship, that would stretch over the boundaries of space and time, over a long and exciting journey!

* * *

**A/N: **_Whoa! I thought I'd never get this up! But what d'ya know? It's full moon outside and I can't sleep so I might as well get something done! Once against, I apologize for the illegally long wait! I hope you can forgive me and that you can be patient and wait once more for the next chapter!_


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